Sapphire Angel (5 page)

She closed her eyes as she felt tears leave them. She wanted to turn away and hide beneath the water where it was safe, but he wouldn’t let her. She felt the soft cool skin of Angelo’s thumbs pass over her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She tried to pull away again.

"Please open your eyes, Darcy. Don’t hide from me. I want all of you, even your tears."

His lovely words wrapped around her heart, but could she believe him? He’d done nothing to indicate she couldn’t trust him. She opened her eyes and looked into his. She could see her pain reflected in them, as if her pain really was his too.

"You have family now,
piccola
. You’ll never again be alone. My family will all welcome you in so quickly, you’ll feel like you’ve been a part of us forever."

He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before he lowered his arms and pulled her back in for a tight hug.

She rested her ear against his chest, listened to his strong heartbeat, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She allowed herself a moment or two to soak in Angelo’s love for her. She knew he loved her. He’d had five years to fall in love, but she’d had three days. She still needed time. Maybe once they were in Italy she would be able to settle down and accept that his claim on her was real.

She nuzzled against his chest and chuckled as his nipple hardened beneath her cheek.

"When do you want to fly out?"

"I need to make some calls to see when we can get a flight. I have to make sure the plane is equipped with a vampire friendly room."

"Oh, of course. There’s no way of flying that far without catching daylight somewhere is there?"

"No, unfortunately. Thankfully most airlines have added special rooms for us."

Chapter Four

Karl watched the little dot flicker on his laptop screen, finally she was moving. His old buddy had come through and got him a link to Darcy’s GPS tracker but she hadn’t moved from the Docklands since he’d opened it up days ago. He’d checked out the area and she had to be in one of the fancy high rise apartments. No way could he just go door knocking until he found her, so here he sat waiting for her to leave.

He watched the little dot move away from the Docklands, it sped up and headed toward the freeway, obviously in a car. He watched the dot turn onto the Tullamarine Freeway to head toward the airport. Oh hell no! He was not going to lose them to a plane. He grabbed his keys, and with his laptop, he ran to his car and headed off after them.

As he drove up the freeway he managed to get the GPS tracker program to work on his phone. He couldn’t go walking around Melbourne Airport with a laptop open and a tracker program running. The cops would pick him up before he made it through the security checkpoint. He then rung the Elders and informed them that Darcy was heading to the airport and he was on his way to capture her. The Elder told him how he wanted it to go down. His life was nearly his own once again.

He pulled into the short-term parking and made his way toward the entrance for the Melbourne International Airport. Darcy’s little dot indicated she hadn’t moved past security yet. Karl hoped she was still at the luggage check in desk. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to get to her if she had passed into the customs area.

Choosing the door on the far left he walked behind a couple of corporates to enter the terminal. Scanning the check in lines he spotted Darcy and her vampire totally engrossed in each other and not watching their surroundings. Grateful the area was crowded, he moved to stand out of their line of sight but still near enough to hear what they were saying. He needed information in the hopes he could think of something to do before they checked in.

"We’ll board the plane first so we can be secured in the safe room before all the others board. At least, that is what normally happens."

"I’ve never flown before. I'm a little nervous."

"You’ll be fine,
piccola
. I’ll keep you safe."

Karl felt like throwing up with their bullshit sweet talking and kissing. He was about to move out of ear shot to save his mind from turning to mush when he heard her say she was going to go to the toilet. Perfect. He quickly headed toward the restrooms and found the entry door to the women's. He casually leaned against the wall. He looked like any other bloke waiting for his woman and didn’t even get a raised eyebrow as he waited for Darcy to come around the corner out of the bathroom.

It felt like forever until she came out, stopping short when she saw him.

"Karl?"

"Hey babe, miss me?"

He watched as fury descended over her face. She stepped up to him and brought her hand back to slap him. He caught her right hand in his before it made contact with his cheek. Webbing his fingers in hers, he lowered and twisted her arm around so her fingers were bent back. He knew the pain now ripping through her would be enough to keep her from fighting him.

Karl wrapped his left arm around her right, so they would look like a couple to passers-by. Pushing her forward he began leading her down the hallway. He tensed when she dropped her weight. A twist of his hand, designed to shoot pain through her, quickly returned her to his control as she stopped fighting.

"Please, babe, don’t fight me. I can and will break your wrist. So, just be a good girl and do as you’re told."

"He’s going to kill you for this." She growled as she conceded to his control.

He chuckled as she scanned the open space before them, clearly searching for her vampire. Karl had been careful to lead her out of the exit where the vampire wouldn’t have been able to see them.

"Even if he does try to rescue you, he’ll just end up arrested and other Nobles will come to take you."

He quickly marched her out of the airport, trying to look as casual as possible, while ignoring her questions. As they passed through the outside door he tightened his hold on her fingers until he felt her shoulder drop in an attempt to relieve the pressure. He scanned the pickup line and saw the black windowless van waiting at the front of the queue. He dragged her over toward the van and as he approached, three men got out of the vehicle. They were all high up Nobles by the look of it. They had the long charcoal grey robes indicating their station. He knew when Darcy saw them. She instantly stiffened, pulled against him seemingly unconcerned about the pain he was causing to her hand and wrist.

"Keep moving, Darcy."

He moved his free hand to her lower back and shoved her forward. She started walking again but still strained against his hold. Between one step and the next, Karl found himself face first on the cement. She’d wrapped her leg in front of his and tripped him up. He quickly rolled and got back to his feet, looking to give chase to recapture Darcy. He didn’t get more than half a step before seeing Darcy in the arms of one of the elders. He’d obviously seen her intention and moved from the van to a position behind them. With a firm grip on both her shoulders, he marched her over to the van and into the rear of it.

"You too, Karl. Both of you are coming with us."

~ * ~

Darcy was spitting mad. She glared across the van at Karl as she sat between two robed men. Her wrists and ankles had been bound and she was strapped into the seat. Karl looked at her then quickly away again with guilt written all over his face. Damn it! How had she ended being kidnapped? And more importantly, why had she been kidnapped?

"Why, Karl? Why me?"

Karl opened his mouth to answer but before he could get a word out she felt a fissure rip through the air and he doubled over clearly in agony. She sat bolt upright, "What the hell?"

"Your questions will be answered once we reach our destination. Do not ask again, or you will be in as much pain as he currently is."

Darcy started shaking as fear crept through her system, images of Angelo’s face flashed before her eyes so she closed her lids to focus on him. She tried desperately to send a mental message to him to come save her and tell him she loved him; had been a fool to put off his claiming her. Oh how she wished she could really tell him. Darcy had a horrible feeling she wasn’t going to be alive at the end of this ordeal.

Focusing on an image of Angelo’s face in her mind she slowly relaxed her muscles and took several deep breaths. She was still daydreaming about Angelo when the van rolled to a stop. She was unbuckled from her seat and her ankles untied before she was led out of the van. She tried to see where she was but couldn’t make out anything familiar in the dark surrounding her. She was hauled along and led down dimly lit modern marble floored hallways. A mansion maybe?

She was brought into a small room with a simple bed and side table, and one other door.

"The bathroom is through that door."

Her hands were untied and she was left alone. Rubbing her wrists she walked over to the other door and peaked in. A windowless room the size of a walk in closet contained a shower, toilet and sink. At least it’s clean. She moved back out and tried the door she’d come in. Surprise, surprise—it was locked. She sat on the bed, scooting back so she could lean against the white wall. Flexing her fingers and rubbing her wrists she began to wonder what the hell all of this was about.

Before long she heard the lock on the door click. She straightened her back as a robed figure came into her room. The figure lifted the hood to reveal a man, whom she guessed was in his mid-fifties.

"You are Darcy?"

"Yes."

Darcy did not want pain like she’d seen Karl cop so she figured she’d play it safe and tone down her sass.

The man walked closer to her, "Stand before me please."

His gentle voice confused her. She’d been kidnapped and threatened with pain, but now he was using his manners and being nice? She slowly rose from the bed and stood in front of the man with her chin raised. No matter what, she would not show him her fear. He reached up and took her chin in his hand and tilted her neck first to the right and then the left.

"He has not claimed you yet."

It was more a statement than question, but she still answered him. "No, he hasn’t."

"So you are still human and therefore must be protected."

"Protected? From what? Angelo would never hurt me."

The man cocked a brow at her, "You think him biting you and bonding your soul to his is not causing you harm, pet?"

"Do not call me pet. My name is Darcy. Use it."

She was getting pissed off now. She wanted to go back to Angelo but she was rapidly getting the idea that wasn’t going to happen.

"Make yourself at home, Darcy. You will be here until we can capture your vampire or until he turns one hundred and dies from starvation because he cannot get your blood."

She reached out and grabbed his arm, "How long are you intending on keeping me here?"

Pain ripped through her hand and up her arm; quickly letting go she cradled her injured arm against her chest. Damn that hurt!

"Twenty years at the most."

He turned and left before she could utter a word more. She crumpled to the floor and curled into a ball. Twenty years! The mental image of Angelo dying crippled her further and she began to cry, loud soul deep sobs that expressed her withering heart and soul. How the hell had she ended up in this mess?

~ * ~

Angelo moved up the check in line as he waited for Darcy to return. By the time he made it to the counter, she still hadn’t made an appearance. After explaining the situation to the service lady, she offered to hold their bags while he went to check on Darcy. As he approached the hallway to the bathrooms he sensed a number of Elder Nobles were near and his system went into overdrive; panic set in at the thought of the Nobles getting a hold of his Bride.

He entered the hallway just as he saw Darcy being led away by a man who looked suspiciously like Karl. He held her in a way that meant he would be able to cause her great injury quickly if she tried to escape. Damn, he wouldn’t be able to grab her from him without causing her injury and getting them all arrested by the airport security. He stayed at a safe distance from them and followed them out of the airport. He was hoping once they got outside he could mingle in with the crowd and find a way to separate her from him.

Unfortunately once they stepped outside Karl moved his grip onto her arm, clamping her tight enough Angelo saw her shoulder slump down in an attempt to alleviate the pain. He ground his teeth and locked down his muscles to stop himself from ripping the bastard’s throat out. It wouldn’t solve anything, he’d end up in jail and another Noble would come and take his bride while he was locked up.

He watched as Darcy was all but dragged over to a big black windowless van, how unoriginal. He took note of the number plate, reciting the numbers over and over until they were entrenched in his brain. As three robed men got out of the van Angelo shuddered. These were the Elders he had sensed earlier. Shit. He was going to need some serious back up to get his bride free. He couldn’t take out three Elders on his own.

His heart ripped in two and his soul screamed as his Bride was ushered into the back of the van and it drove away. He headed for the nearest taxi and headed back to the apartment. As the taxi pulled out of the airport he grabbed his phone and rung his father.